&#8220;No let&#8221; serve set for three-month trial on ATP Challenger Tour in 2013

NEW YORK &#8212; At its recent meetings in New York, the ATP Board of Directors approved a rule change and a trial for the 2013 season, both proposed by the new ATP Competition Committee.

From 2013, on both the ATP World Tour and ATP Challenger Tour, a time violation between points (25 seconds) will be penalised in the first instance with a warning. For the second and all subsequent violations, the penalty will be a fault for the server and a point penalty for the receiver. Currently, the rule is a warning and then point penalty for both the server and receiver.

&#8220;There&#8217;s been a lot of discussion about the amount of time taken between points,&#8221; said ATP Executive Chairman and President Brad Drewett. &#8220;We believe this modification will give officials a useful tool and allow for more consistent enforcement of the current time violation rule.&#8221;
The ATP Board also approved a trial elimination of the service let on the ATP Challenger Tour only, for the first three months of 2013.

&#8220;Although this change will not materially reduce the length of a match, we believe it should have a positive impact on the flow of the match,&#8221; said Drewett. &#8220;We&#8217;re certainly not ready yet to eliminate the service let, but believe a trial at the ATP Challenger level will be a good way to test this initiative in a competitive environment and get feedback from players and the public before deciding if it could be adapted more broadly.&#8221;

Quite interesting stat - Donna Vekic (Croatia) has reached the semi's of the tournament in Tashkent, her main draw WTA debut. She is 16 years old and is the youngest MD semi-finalist since Azarenka in 2005.... Perhaps one to look out for?

It will be an interesting battle for the year end #1 for men. Djokovic is approximately 1000 points ahead of Federer in the race points (points for only this year). Federer is generally the Worlds best indoor player. Murray is about 3000 points back of Djokovic and 2000 back of Federer so has virtually no chance barring Federer and Djokovic both getting injured and not playing anymore tournaments and Murray sweeping the entire fall season. Murray only has to win about 2 matches to supplant Nadal for the year end #3 though, since Nadal apparently isnt playing anymore this year. The Player of the Year awards for men will also be interesting and for once might not go to the Year end #1.

For the women Azarenka and Sharapova are also in a tight battle for the year end #1 with Azarenka about 500 points in the WTA race points for the year right now. Serena could get it if she plays alot and wins alot this fall but given her history this is unlikely her choice.

Good for Serena!! Looks like she found someone. Same with Venus too. Good for them.

One of the goss websites I go to state there is a woman tennis star who's voice is much lower that she rarely speaks or grunts anymore due to PED. I assumed it was Serena, since she was SOOOOO quiet. But she looks and sounds more feminine in years. Others say Schiavone, but hey that's obvious, and she's not really a 'star'.

In a very sad way, as much as I looked up to Marion Jones and respected her (and she did look feminine), I am waiting for the ball to drop dead on Serena. I was on Team V and S since 1994 (?) when they were first in Sports Illustrated. It was a crazy article. Richard Williams was convinced V would be number one in the world. But then stated that his younger daughter Serena had the potential to be even better, and that the two would reign on the professional tour. Everyone snickered. Guess what, Richard snickered in the 2000's. Even the phony Chrissie Evert/Lloyd/Mill/Norman (anyone else I've forgotten?) finally had to give S and V their props.

I will always be a supporter of Venus and Serena. For almost twenty years I have followed their humble beginnings and eventual successes. I'm from Texas and supported Lance Armstrong from the start, since he started in Plano.

I just want Serena et al to be randomly tested throughout the year, like poor Kyoko Ina who had an uncomfortable experience at five in the morning.

As far as I am concerned since the anti-doping has emerged, if someone 'gets away' with it, so be it, it's the doping people's fault for not catching it. I'm still mightily depressed about Marion Jones, but so what. It really is hard to not imagine Serena Williams doing SOMETHING. Really, you see her in a bikini and she looks totes drag. And I'm her fan. But something is not quite cool in Denmark. As long as she gets away with it, I'm fine. But it reminds me of Steffi Graf who said for FOUR years she was only tested once and that was at the 88 Olys. She was world number one and eventually won the Grand Slam in 88, but the only time in four years she was tested was at Olys. That bothers me, but it seems WTA does not see this as a problem. Schiavone and Stosur are obviously "working out heavily", but Serena and Venus were once associated with Balk (?) that was associated with major PED usage.

I love V and S, don't get me wrong. I still feel, test Serena NOW, if she's clean, all her titles are clean. Same with V. No biggie, I'm not being racist, I just think something is up with Serena. But if she passed a US Open drug test, then that's good for me. Though it makes one wonder why she plays so few tournaments where she could be tested. It's easy to work out and then stay off the stuff for three weeks before a grand slam.... Just saying. I've always wondered why V and S hardly contributed to the tour and only showed up pumped and ready for the slams. Who knows. I'm very sad about Lance Armstrong, he's like 15 years past his peak and still is dogged with this.

I thought the players had to keep their schedules on record every day so that they could be drug tested at the drop of a hat. I've read interviews in which Serena and Nadal have said this is an imposition because they'd rather be able to change their minds about where they're going to go without logging it in.

At any rate, unless someone fails a test or a witness comes forward and says, "I saw so-and-so take PEDs," or "So-and-so told me they took PEDs," why speculate? Tennis is played successfully by men and women with a range of body types, tall and short, lanky and stocky, softer and ripped. I don't think someone should be subjected to reputation-damaging speculation because they look more muscular than most others, especially when they've always looked more or less that way.

I thought the players had to keep their schedules on record every day so that they could be drug tested at the drop of a hat. I've read interviews in which Serena and Nadal have said this is an imposition because they'd rather be able to change their minds about where they're going to go without logging it in.

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Yeah, isn't that what got Yanina Wickmayer in trouble? She didn't fail a drug test or anything, but neglected to report her whereabouts.

I get so tired of the doping speculation with Serena So she doesn't look like a pretty blonde skinny girl, it must mean she is doping! I know so many fit, black women who have Serena's body type, and they are all gorgeous and definitely don't dope.

I get so tired of the doping speculation with Serena So she doesn't look like a pretty blonde skinny girl, it must mean she is doping! I know so many fit, black women who have Serena's body type, and they are all gorgeous and definitely don't dope.

It's just plain stupidity that anyone brings it up.

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Say what you really feel.

I hear ya though. Serena has a thick body type. Other than Venus all the women in the Williams family are thick or prone to be overweight. Serena has a voluptuous body type and if she does not work out she would blow up.

I've never thought she took enhancement drugs. Serena gains weight and her muscles turn to flabby after not exercising. That's natural.

Also, watching Serena play over the years, she does not have a "cheater" mentality. She's always been a very fair opponent.

That happened late October 2011. They say it's not known if she took the drug test, but it is known by now. Had she refused, she would have drawn a sanction of some kind because refusals are treated like positives.

If some random stranger showed up at my place before 6:00 AM, I would have freaked out, too!

Serena is what I'd call a brick house, you know, like the song Kurt Browning skated to. Stacked.

Anyway, I can understand that people might wonder about Serena because of her shoulders/arms. Her biceps and deltoids are huge, bigger than what many men have. I think she's far more muscular than Roger Federer, lol, but he's never been muscular like other guys. But, she's always been big like that. With Stosur, though, I really wonder about PEDs. She is so big right now and it overwhelms the rest of her so much that every time I see her, I wonder about drugs. It's just so different than everyone else.

I don't think it's actual stupidity that makes people bring the issue of drugs up every time they see a female athlete (or male) with huge muscles and big success. I think many of us have become pretty cynical about successful athletes after so many have eventually been caught cheating in some way. You really don't know who is clean and who isn't, especially after many of those cheaters tested clean for many years.

People dont wonder about Stosur as much as Serena since she doesnt overwhelm the other girls with extreme physicality in her actual tennis play, she doesnt hit the ball so much harder and seem that much more athletic than everyone else the way Serena does. However that is because her technique is not that great (relative to other top players) and she isnt as naturally athletic either. However her play which is in no way physically overwhelming or overpowrering to the other girls the way Serena in makes you forget how big and muscular she is. Serena really reminds you of how how big and muscular she is with her play which seems physically overwhelming.

15 Grand Slam singles titles (a total of 30 Grand Slam titles combined) ... count 'em! Indeed, you are majestic, Serena -- and ain't it about d**n time that fact is simply accepted and celebrated?! Swallow hard and speculate as you may people, and google and goggle at her kickin' body, powerful in-your-face play, and range of emotions. Quite simply, Serena has grown up in the fishbowl of fame and yet is still grounded ... even as she has reached ever new heights of greatness. If you can't admire her stone cold fierceness on court or the warmth of her smile in victory, then just continue harrumphing and haranguing, speculating and dissembling and claiming how much you really like her, butt ... #%&$$$!

Serena has survived the death of a sister, the illness of another sister and near death herself, a stunning defeat at the French Open this year, cat calls and derision from fans, officials and commentators alike. She has not only survived all that and more, she has thrived in the elite, country club, traditionally lily white "we're better than you" atmosphere of tennis. In the process, Serena, along with her big sis and best friend, cool queenly Venus, changed the game of tennis ... Oh yeah, swallow hard if you must, they changed the game with their power, glamour, belief in themselves, with their excellence and with their majesty.

Anyone can say whatever they so please. Truth of the matter is: Serena and Venus won their titles with their god-given gifts and warrior mentalities. Disparage them if you wish to your heart's content ... no one can take their titles away. Unlike in figure skating, there is no subjectivity in tennis ... when you win, you WIN.

Jon Wertheim alludes to Chris Evert's well-known history with the Williams family. What is it?

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Well, the Willaimses did not set up with Everts down in Florida. This probably is the one time Christine should have recused herself from commentating. Instead America's Sweetheart trashed the Williamses even though there was family financial squabble.

Chris Evert is the biggest phony in women's tennis history. She is a joke among journalists. She's broken up several marriages, married a couple of guys who divorced their wives just to have her for a couple of years. She is a joke. And the more face lifts she gets will never help her severely sun damaged skin. She is a wreck.